Hot 41 needs to chill out

[ford38v8]

I think the electric fan will solve your problem in stop and go driving but it will probably be masking a problem. The car did not do this when it was new, so something has changed. I hate to see electric fans on restored cars and vintage hot rods but sometimes you don't have better option to keep them cool. If you can find a pusher fan that can be hidden in front of the radiator, hidden behind the grille that would be the way to go. I have a hot rod with a 324 Olds engine that gets hot at long traffic lights. When that electric fan kicks on the temperature drops like a rock. I don't like the fan, but I like it better than overheating.

If you mean a pusher fan to be used at stop lights in addition to the stock fan, I can see that option, but NOT as a replacement system in removing the stock fan altogether. If a fan mod is to be considered, I think a well designed shroud for the original fan can provide better results than any electric fan in any position.

 

[fordor41]

Not too familiar with the '41 but, are you missing the upper shroud piece that fits between the top of the grill and the upper part of the radiator? On my '47, that piece plays a major role in forcing the cool air through the radiator.
(Beautiful car BTW.)
Phil

'41 fords do not have that piece. On our '41 with a Walker rad. I blocked off any openings at bottom and sides to direct all air thru the rad. Also fab'd a piece attached to the hood the blocks air flow over the top of the rad.

 

[drolston]

open the hood on 100 new cars & tell me how many copper brass rads you see. there is nothing wrong with alm rads .

The Champion aluminum radiators for the '41 are advertised to handle 500 horsepower. Probably possible with a huge fan and complete shroud, but not in a '41 Ford engine room. I had the same problem with the 284 inch Flathead in my coupe. It would overheat at stop lights (limited air flow) and running over 60 on the highway (horsepower heat generation). The block was properly cleaned before rebuild. Tried new high flow water pumps (helped a little at idle), advanced timing (no help), removing thermostats (nope), water wetter (a waste), pressure cap with recovery tank, etc. etc., to no avail. I had a spacer machined to get the fan closer to the radiator and a partial shroud around the fan; - no help.

The only real help was adding a shroud to block air over the top, and running with a very low anti-freeze mix. Pure water transfers heat considerably better than ethylene glycol. But not enough.

So I pitched the aluminum radiator and repaired the truck radiator that was wedged in place when I bought the car. Yes, FlexSeal works on those little leaks between tank and radiator. It has maybe 15% more frontal area that the short little aluminum thing, and it is thicker. Cooling at high speed is completely solved and the only time it gets near hot at idle is with a tail wind.

Yes, aluminum radiators work fine on a lot of cars with well shrouded electric fans, but "traditional hot rod" is my thing and I would rather overheat than hear an electric fan. So, your call: Electric fan with shroud, or find a stock type brass/copper radiator.

 

[ford38v8]

The Champion aluminum radiators for the '41 are advertised to handle 500 horsepower. Probably possible with a huge fan and complete shroud, but not in a '41 Ford engine room. I had the same problem with the 284 inch Flathead in my coupe. It would overheat at stop lights (limited air flow) and running over 60 on the highway (horsepower heat generation). The block was properly cleaned before rebuild. Tried new high flow water pumps (helped a little at idle), advanced timing (no help), removing thermostats (nope), water wetter (a waste), pressure cap with recovery tank, etc. etc., to no avail. I had a spacer machined to get the fan closer to the radiator and a partial shroud around the fan; - no help.

The only real help was adding a shroud to block air over the top, and running with a very low anti-freeze mix. Pure water transfers heat considerably better than ethylene glycol. But not enough.

So I pitched the aluminum radiator and repaired the truck radiator that was wedged in place when I bought the car. Yes, FlexSeal works on those little leaks between tank and radiator. It has maybe 15% more frontal area that the short little aluminum thing, and it is thicker. Cooling at high speed is completely solved and the only time it gets near hot at idle is with a tail wind.

Yes, aluminum radiators work fine on a lot of cars with well shrouded electric fans, but "traditional hot rod" is my thing and I would rather overheat than hear an electric fan. So, your call: Electric fan with shroud, or find a stock type brass/copper radiator.

You're an old softy. I might have dumped on him and his alm rads.